Cincinnati Bengals Rookie WR Colbie Young Making Plays, Earning Trust Day by Patient Day

Rookie wide receiver Colbie Young is excited to prove what he can bring to the Cincinnati Bengals offense, but he knows something more valuable than circling his hands around passes is to wrapping his mind around every aspect of the playbook.

Especially on an offense with all 11 starters back and many key backups with several seasons in the system.

“We've got a lot of veteran guys, so there's really no time to slow down for a rookie,” Young said. “I've got to jump on board and adapt to the culture and get ready to win.”

Proof that he’s been doing is manifesting itself in multiple ways.

The most eye-catching is the trust that backup quarterback Joe Flacco has developed with the fourth-round pick out of Georgia, throwing a 50-50 ball down the sideline the belief that Young will make the play.

Which he did, with one of the top catches of the day, out-fighting cornerback Josh Newton for the ball.

“We got the coverage we wanted,” Young said. “We'd been watching it all practice, just getting the depth we wanted. Joe Flacco trusted me and put a great ball up there.

“Without him throwing me the ball, there is no catch right there,” Young added. “Him being able to trust me and put it out there to a rookie is everything.”

But for every catch – Young had two Monday – there are countless other chances to build that trust from both the quarterbacks and coaches.

And proof that Young is doing that is how much head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher have moved Young around in the formation.

This isn’t Jermaine Burton just running go balls from a few years ago.

“I've got to know this whole playbook,” Young said. “There's a lot of veteran guys, so I've got to jump on board right now. There is no time for rookie mistakes. I've got to be in the same mental state as Tee (Higgins) and Ja'Marr (Chase).

“I really wanted to play in the slot a lot, get me on a nickel safety or a linebacker even,” added Young, who had only 20 of his 318 snaps in the slot last year. “We had great slots at Georgia and Miami, so I didn't really need to be in the slot. But I'm very comfortable moving in there and getting the coverage I want.”

But it isn’t just understanding the multiple routes, coverages and concepts in the passing game.

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Young is willing to have a heavily lopsided blocks-to-targets ratio.

“We've got a great running back, great o-line, but sometimes we need a bigger receiver to go dig out a safety and spring the running back free,” Young said. “I will do that dirty work and keep those guys (Higgins and Chase) from getting banged up.”

Young is eager to play, but patient to contribute with catches.

“I'm one of the luckiest receivers to get drafted,” he said. “I've got two Hall of Famers in front of me who I get to learn from. I'm not getting rushed into a system where I have to perform right now. I'm just sitting back and learning so I can be in their steps one day.”

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